Prepare to Die
by Esperus
Summary: After Ruby uses her unknown power at the end of the Battle of Beacon, she wakes up in an unfamiliar world. Most everything wants to kill her, and she has to find her way through this world to return to her own. Taking the place of the Chosen Undead, the young teen must learn much about herself and her own feelings as she wanders through the world of Lordran.
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Dark Souls, they belong to their respective owners.

Warning: There are sensitive topics here. Death, loss of innocence, gore, etc. Don't read if you can't stomach them.

Also, for those of you who have played Dark Souls, there will be inconsistencies in this story. Areas having certain parts cut out will mostly be unimportant anyway. Enemies where there aren't any, or an increased number of enemies. Stats will work slightly differently, mostly HP, Stamina, Endurance, and Equip Load. This is due to Ruby still having her Semblance and Aura in a world without things like that.

I know I'm not a very good author, and I have trouble properly identifying what I want to write down. Thank you.

* * *

 _And amongst the living are seen, carries of the accursed Darksign..._

 _...This is your fate._

A loud thud caused Ruby to awaken with a start, the strange dream quickly fading with only bits and pieces echoing in her memories. Immediately, she felt something was off. The last thing she remembered was going to stop Cinder and witnessing Pyrrha fade into cinders. Just the thought of that made her angry and sick. Without even opening her eyes, she could sense her surroundings. Stale air, a small and dank space. Moisture mixed with the scent of death. Echoes of a large being stomping around, and silent chaos throughout.

Opening her eyes, the girl found her eyes adjusting to the dark. Some kind of room, with walls of stone and a floor of the same. To her left, there was some kind of barred, metal door that made this room into a cell. A small light came from something in front of her, and her eyes readjusted to make sense of the sight. Only then did she realize that the loud sound that woke her up was a body being dropped into her cell.

Ruby's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but gag. Confusion and sensory overload assaulted her in a brutal pair, and the young girl struggled to remain calm. She put her hands over her mouth in an attempt to prevent her nausea from getting the best of her, only to realize something felt wrong about the texture. Her face, her hands, everything felt...off. Taking a look at herself, she was even more confused and appalled than before. First of all, her clothes were completely different, now a simple leather armor set covering her body. And secondly...

Her skin was red and sunken, as if suffering from old burns. Every part of her skin felt rough yet weak, and it was a terrifying feeling. On her hands and knees, the poor girl emptied the contents of her stomach. Or, at least, she tried to. The only thing that came up was the sickly sting of bile burning at her esophagus. Coughing and spitting up, Ruby desperately tried to calm herself down. She knew it would do her no good to be like this, but her body couldn't help but react.

After a few more minutes of gagging and attempting to calm herself, the teenager finally sat back and took deep breaths to center her thoughts. Eyes closed, she thought about her current status and how she felt. All in all, she felt relatively alright. However, everything about her also felt wrong, as if she was no longer in her own skin. Despite the skin condition she found herself with, everything else seemed exactly as she was used to it, so the disturbance in her feelings made little sense to her.

'Alright,' she thought to herself, 'first of all, I have no idea where I am, though I seem to be imprisoned. Second of all, I doubt my team is with me. Yang certainly would be making a lot of noise right now.' The thought made her smile a bit, and she nodded to herself. "Okay. I need to figure out what's going on," she said aloud, standing up and dusting herself off. Her eyes were immediately drawn back to the corpse that was dumped into the cell. While the sight still made her a bit nauseated, she made due. Approaching the corpse, she reached for the pale, white light that seemed to be floating slightly above it.

As she touched the light, it suddenly disappeared and she could feel information she didn't know beforehand enter her mind. _Dungeon Cell Key._ Blinking and recoiling in surprise, the silver-eyed girl looked around frantically for the key she had apparently just found. 'Where is it? Where did the light go, and how did I know about the key?'

In response to her thoughts, a sort of 'menu' appeared in her her mind, she could clearly picture a list of items that she had on her. _Dungeon Cell Key. Leather Armor. Leather Gloves. Leather Boots._ Surprised at the influx of information, the startled huntress-in-training lost her train of thought, and thus the menu disappeared. "Okay, what the hell was that?" She wondered aloud. "It was like...a menu from a video game. What is going on here?"

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she decided to try and move forward. She'd have plenty of time to think about things later. Walking up to the cell door, she fumbled with her mind to try and get the menu to appear again. After struggling with it for a few minutes, she successfully got the key from nowhere, and used it to open the door. After it served it's purpose, the key disappeared back to the depths of her inventory. Taking a breath, Ruby walked out of her cell and into the hallway of the prison.

Down the hall, she could see another person with reddish, sunken skin leaning against the wall. Slowly approaching them, Ruby called out. "Um, hello? Where am I?" Even as she approached, the person didn't respond, merely pressing their head and hands against the wall. Her instincts warned against making any kind of trouble, considering she had just escaped a prison cell, so she left the strange person and continued onward. Walking up a short flight of stairs led her to what seemed to be some kind of sewer area. She slowly made her way through the prison, following the only path and making sure not to make too much noise, else she be discovered by someone undesirable.

Coming through an arch, she found a ladder leading up. Not seeing any other options, the small teen climbed each rung and made her way to the top. At the top, there wasn't much to see at first. Torches lit the area, and another arched hall led outside to some kind of courtyard. Coming out into the courtyard, she had to cover her eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness of the outside world. In the middle of the area, there seemed to be a sword sticking out of the ground, with a pile of ashes beneath it. Curious, Ruby slowly walked up to it and touched the handle.

Without warning, it burst into flames, startling the girl. In her mind, the words _Bonfire Lit_ appeared for a moment, before fading away. Inexplicably, she felt herself drawn to the flaming weapon, and she sat down in front of it cross-legged. She felt warm and welcome, and closed her eyes to bask in the feeling. Again, in her mind, she saw a menu appear that made no sense to her. _Leave. Attune Magic. Reverse Hollowing._ 'Magic? Hollowing? What is going on here?!' Exasperated, she stood up and walked away from the bonfire, wanting to just continue forward and leave this place. In front of her, the obvious next place stood. Large, double doors that led into another part of the weird prison. Opening them was surprisingly easy, but the girl wasn't exactly weak in the first place.

"Uh...hello?" She called out weakly, eyes examining the large room. The floor was broken up, stone bricks laying in broken piles throughout and the pillars looking rather old and damaged. Something felt extremely heavy about the place, and Ruby walked forward cautiously while examining the room around her. At about the middle of the room, she walked off to the left to examine what seemed to be words written in the stone. Although she was unable to read the text, her mind came up with a translation. _Run!_ Without giving her time to think, she heard a large crash and whirled around to see what it was, only to have a giant monstrous creature fill her vision. _Asylum Demon._

Large and somewhat leathery, the beast was an odd mixture of dark green and putrid purple, with an off-brown, leathery stomach and chest area. Small wings that seemed as if they should never work on a creature that size fluttered on it's back. It had what seemed to be antlers sticking out of it's head in a chaotic mess of lengths and shapes. It's lips were small, but the mouth was big, letting the giant teeth show in a permanent snarl. Red, beady eyes stared unblinkingly with malice as the monster readied it's giant, club-like hammer.

Ruby let out a shriek of terror and ran for the open gate to her left, instinctively using her semblance to dash through. Behind her, the grate closed and locked her out from the room the beast resided in. A loud 'thwack' sound gave her no time to rest, as she looked forward once more and had to suddenly dodge an arrow. Adrenaline pumping, the girl ducked into a small alcove with a corpse laying nearby. Seeing the corpse had a glowing light above it like before, she touched the light and her mind was force fed information once more. _Large Leather Shield._ Using the menu in her mind, she equipped the shield and found that, despite the light weight, having a shield on her left arm was rather uncomfortable. But she'd take what she could at this moment.

Shield in hand, she charged out from the alcove, dodging and smacking aside arrows as she ran down the hallway. Her attacker, another reddish-skinned person, silently dropped their arms and started running away after she got too close. Another corpse with an item was at the end of the hallway, so Ruby quickly touched the light to obtain it. _Shortsword._ "Not exactly my preferred weapon, but it will do," she muttered, focusing to get to the menu to equip it from wherever her items were stored in space. Feeling the familiar weight of a weapon in hand, even if it wasn't her precious Crescent Rose, made her feel a bit better about the situation. Taking a few test swings, she found the balance to be decent, and turned back to where her assailant had ran off to.

Just in time as well, as they were readying another arrow. This time, in a smaller hallway, there was less room to dodge. Holding up her shield, Ruby charged at them once more, smacking the arrow out of the air and brandishing the shortsword. With a heavy, fast swing, she batted her enemy with the side of her sword and smacked them against the wall. Satisfied this would keep them down, she continued onward. However, she was quickly rewarded with an arrow flying past her, quick reflexes the only thing that saved her from being hit. "What are you even attacking me for?!" She cried out in frustration, making an upward swing with her sword to disarm the archer. The other remained silent, other than a low groaning cry as it suddenly charged her, no weapons in hand.

With no other choice but to defend herself, Ruby used her shield to push them back before thrusting with her sword, stabbing at them. She was incredibly surprised, however, when her attack not only hit home, but sliced right through flesh. She was so used to a world where Aura blocked hits and made lethal strikes nothing but an inconvenience. In this world, where she was the only one with such an ability...she had the upper hand.

Her enemy let out a weak groan and lost control of it's body, the counterattack dealing lethal damage and killing them near instantly. The corpse slid off of Ruby's sword, and she could do nothing but stare in horrified silence. 'I killed someone. I killed someone. This person is dead because of me! Why? Why!?'

Unfortunately, her inner thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of groaning and running. Instinctively, the girl whirled around and struck out with her sword, slashing another assailant from hip to shoulder. The attacker stumbled back from the wound, and another quickly took their place, swinging a sword at her. In response, the distracted girl sloppily threw her shield up to block, knocking her off balance but saving herself from taking too much damage. Regaining her footing, she lashed out in a wide arc, sword slashing through both enemies at once. The previously wounded enemy couldn't survive another attack like that, and fell over, bleeding profusely with innards and gore pouring from the slash on their stomach. The sight made Ruby sick to her stomach, but she still had to deal with the other enemy before she could have a meltdown.

Waiting for the wild strike that came, Ruby smacked the arm away with her shield and thrust out in a clumsy parry, killing her opponent by putting her sword through their chest cavity. Kicking away the corpse, Ruby dropped her sword and knelt on hands and knees to dry heave, even bile failing to escape that time around. Even though it was in self defense, with her own life on the line, she couldn't help but feel disgusted. She had vowed to protect, that's why she wanted to become a huntress. And yet, here she had just killed three people. Their blood was on her hands, quite literally. Her eyes were drawn to the red liquid coating her right hand, the hand that held the sword that slew her enemies.

Another dry heave, causing her nothing but pain as tears welled in her eyes. A choked sob escaped her lips, tears slowly welling to the brim and dropping down her face. Kneeling on an unfamiliar stone floor, with unfamiliar surroundings, and unfamiliar enemies, she cried and sobbed her heart out. She wished her team was with her. To have Yang hold her and tell her everything would be alright. To have Weiss scold her gently for being a dolt. The calm, sarcastic humor from Blake to clear the air. Anything would have been a godsend at that moment.

Long, agonizing minutes passed as Ruby released her feelings to the cold stone. Tears dropped on her blood-stained hand, the meager liquid doing little to wash away the thickness of her guilt. Eyes darkened with grief and guilt, the girl slowly and shakily stood up. Grabbing her weapon, she kept a firm grip on it as she strode on forward, tear streaks staining her blemished face. A determined grimace ruined her visage even further, the ugly expression not often seen on the girl's usually rather cute face.

'This place is different. These people are different. If I am a monster, then so be it. I just want to go home.'

The thoughts were like a mere bandage being used to disguise a gaping wound. It would do for a short while, but eventually everything would come gushing back out. Hopefully she was in a safe place by the time that happened.

The next arched exit of the hallway seemed to be blocked off by a thick fog. However, as she reached out to test it, the fog faded away and allowed her to step through to the next area. To her left was a small terrace area overlooking the courtyard. To her right, stairways. Turning to the stairways, she first walked down the latter stairs, finding a shortcut back to the bonfire. Opening the metal door, she slowly walked to the bonfire and sat down, feeling the warmth soothe her mind and body. She sat there for more than a few minutes, simply gathering her thoughts and strength.

Eventually, she got back up and left the bonfire, going back up the stairs to explore more of the area. Upon making it about halfway up the second flight, she caught someone at the top of the stairway push a large ball down. Reacting quickly, she strafed to the right and dropped down to the previous set of stairs, wincing at the loud crash that followed the metal ball breaking through the stone brick wall. Looking back, she saw a hole had been made in the wall by the stairway, showing a dark room meagerly illuminated by torches. Slowly walking back up the stairs and ducking into the hole, she was met with the sight of a person in armor laying on a pile of rubble. Upon realizing her presence, the figure looked up and started speaking weakly.

"Oh, you...you're no Hollow, eh?" He spoke, as if mildly surprised. "I'm done for, I'm afraid." Without giving her a chance to speak up, he continued. "I wish to ask something of you...I'll die soon, and lose my sanity. You and I, we're both Undead...Hear me out, will you?"

"Wait, what?" Ruby questioned, causing the man to tilt his head in confusion. "I'm sorry, I have no idea what's going on...but I'll hear your request."

"Regrettably, I have failed in my mission...But perhaps you can keep the torch lit. There is an old saying in my family...'Thou who art Undead, art chosen...In thine exodus from the Undead Asylum, maketh pilgrimage to the land of Ancient Lords...When thou ringeth the Bell of Awakening, the fate of the Undead thou shalt know.' Well, now you know...and I can die with hope in my heart..." Trailing off, the man reached into his armor and handed Ruby what seemed to be a bottle of some kind. "Oh, one more thing...Here, take this. An Estus Flask, and Undead Favorite."

 _Estus Flask 5_ appeared in her mind as she took the bottle from the dying man. "Oh...and this..." _Undead Asylum F2 East Key_ appeared as well. Taking the items, Ruby started to try to speak, only to be greeted by the final death rattle of the helpful soldier. Tearing up once more, Ruby adjusted his body in a restful pose and bowed her head in respect. She had no idea what was going on, or what was asked of her, but she understood his warrior's desire in her heart. After staying a few moments to collect herself and clear the lump in her throat, she left the hole in the wall and continued up the stairs, always moving forward.

At the top of the stairs, there was the person that earlier rolled the metal boulder down. Gritting her teeth, Ruby brought her shield up and awaited the charge. She didn't have to wait long, as her enemy leaped at her wildly. Blocking the hit, she took advantage of the staggered foe and quickly slashed twice, killing it without chance for a counterattack. Moving forward and trying not to focus on what she'd done, she used the key she got from the man earlier to open the metal gate in front of her. Stepping through, she once more reached the outside of the asylum. Much of the walls were crumbling or outright destroyed, causing her to keep her guard up for surprise attacks.

Lo and behold, as soon as she turned to part of a destroyed wall, two melee enemies were waiting for her and charged her as a pair. Further back, she heard the familiar twang of an arrow being released. Quickly, she hopped back behind the wall and baited the broken sword wielding enemies to fight her without ranged backup. It seemed they weren't very intelligent at all, as her opponents followed her recklessly without any hesitation. Lunging forward, she stabbed the first one through the chest and kicked the corpse away, whirling to slash at the other in quick succession. Panting softly, she gave herself a chance to regain her breath before dealing with the archer around the corner, feeling much more tired than she should. It seemed to only be momentary, though, as a few moment's rest was enough to restore her energy.

Hefting the leather shield up, she ran towards the archer and knocked arrows away, making a running thrust that sliced through the archer's side. Back-stepping to avoid a follow up, Ruby did one last horizontal slash to seal her enemy's demise. To her left, a large wall of fog blocked the way, though she assumed from earlier it would let her pass through if she touched it. Before that, she walked forward into the other part of the terrace. A much tougher looking enemy, wielding a sword and a metal shield, guarded another metal grate. Without hesitation, Ruby ran forward and tried to get around it's guard with a side swipe.

This enemy seemed more prepared than the previous ones, though, and blocked the attack with a strong grip, knocking the girl slightly off balance. Following up, the enemy swung it's sword at the teen in a decisive counterattack. Ruby had to quickly throw up her shield to block, but felt her aura being damaged slightly from the late block. In response, she kicked at the armed foe to present an opening and slashed, damaging it's torso rather heavily. But it seemed to not feel the pain, coming in for it's own slash. Cursing at the suicidal tactic, Ruby tried to dodge backwards, but was slashed by the tip of the blade regardless. She felt the large hit to her aura, making her wince at her mistake. But before she let her opponent get another hit off, she finished them with another kick and a stab to the chest.

Panting heavily, she knelt down and caught her breath. In the back of her mind, she remember the strange flask the man gave her. It appeared to be filled with some kind of liquid, though it seemed more like liquid fire than anything drinkable. Regardless, she decided to try it. He must have given it to her because it was useful, right? So, taking the stopper out, she took a swig. Immediately, she felt her throat burn strangely. Heat rushed down her throat and into her stomach, burning in a strangely pleasant way. 'Is this alcohol? This is totally how Qrow described drinking whiskey,' she though, coughing softly.

After the burning went away, she felt much better. Her aura felt back to normal, and she felt much less tired than before. Some kind of magical potion? Either way, she had to continue on. She tried to open the door in front of her, but it was locked and she didn't have the correct key for it. So, looping back, she went to the fog gate that blocked her way. Taking a deep breath, she touched the fog and walked through it.

She found herself standing on a small terrace, overlooking the room where the giant monster from earlier was. Speaking of which, it was right below her, looking up with those red, glaring eyes. Glancing behind her, the fog wall was still there, but it looked more solid and dangerous, as if preventing her from safety. Touching it, she confirmed that it felt like a solid wall, blocking her from escaping at all. "Okay, deep breath. It's like a giant Grimm, right? The dragon from last night was way bigger." Her little pep talk didn't really calm her nerves at all, but she was ready. With a battle cry, she dropped down from the terrace and stabbed her blade into the monster's face.

It roared in pain, bloody rivulets pouring from the wounds and flying everywhere as the demon flung Ruby off. She rolled on the ground and got into a fighting stance, preparing herself to face the giant beast. It seemed horribly wounded from the simple strike, which urged Ruby on to fight. Without waiting for a counterattack, the teen rushed forward and slashed at the Asylum Demon's belly. As she struck a second time, she realized too late that the monster was preparing an attack of it's own. As her strike landed, she felt the force of a semi-truck plowing into her from the side, blowing her off into a pillar and breaking right through it. Her aura was severely damaged, and she was in excruciating pain from the blunt trauma.

Struggling and getting up, Ruby had to think fast as she saw the demon preparing an overhead strike. Using her semblance to help, she rolled out of the way, feeling the whipping wind of the strike pass by her along with the trembling of the earth as the blow landed. Fumbling mentally, she tried to get the Estus Flask out to take a drink and restore her energy, but she took far too long. Without missing a beat, the demon swung it's giant hammer right into her, smashing her into the wall. Lightheaded, Ruby looked down at her body and immediately wished she didn't. Her body was...strangely flat, she decided. Her ribs were broken to the point of crumbling inside of her, and her organs were mushed inside of her. She felt herself coughing wetly, and idly realized it must have been blood and gore rushing up from her throat. It should have hurt, but she felt oddly calm and painless.

'Huh...so this is what dying feels like...' she thought to herself, eyes growing heavy and her vision darkening around the edges. 'Not that bad...' And from behind her eyelids, her blind eyes could clearly see those most hated words. Words she'd see quite a few times. Words that would fill her with anger and determination.

 _ **YOU DIED**_


End file.
